United Nations A/67/551
General Assembly Distr.: General 2 November 2012
Original: English
Sixty-seventh session Agenda item 20 Sustainable development
Sustainable Energy for All
Note by the Secretary-General
The Secretary-General has the honour to transmit to the General Assembly the report of the Co-Chairs of his High-level Group on Sustainable Energy for All.
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Report of the Co-Chairs of the Secretary-General’s High-level Group on Sustainable Energy for All
Contents Page
Message from the Co-Chairs of the High-level Group to the Secretary-General ...... 3
I. Actions and partnerships...... 6
II. Monitoring and reporting ...... 17
III. Outreach ...... 18
IV. Communications ...... 29
V. Acknowledgement of supporters ...... 32
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Message from the Co-Chairs of the High-level Group to the Secretary-General
As we conclude our service as Co-Chairs of your High-level Group on Sustainable Energy for All, we feel a mixture of pride and gratitude: pride at the progress we have been able to make on this vitally important issue, and gratitude for your vision and steadfast leadership and for the selfless contributions of the members and supporters of the Group itself.1 The initiative you launched in September 2011 on Sustainable Energy for All is now poised to make a major impact on both the challenge of energy poverty and the opportunity to speed the adoption of energy efficiency and renewable energy globally. We believe that it can also serve as a new model of beneficial public and private engagement with the United Nations system. Indeed, your first step in creating the High-level Group — identifying and engaging leaders from business, government and civil society as well as the United Nations itself — may have been the most important. The diversity of perspectives contributed significantly to our success. Our accomplishments have been strategic, political, and financial: • Strategic in first setting a Framework for Action and then defining a Global Action Agenda. Your vision statement (A/66/645) made the case for change and defined the initiative’s aspirational goals formulated as three objectives relating to access, efficiency and renewable energy. The Framework for Action2 identified the value of participation for each major stakeholder group, the benefits of collaboration, the structure of the commitment process and the guiding principles of the initiative. The Global Action Agenda (A/67/175) identified high-priority opportunities for engagement by stakeholders, organized into 11 action areas from appliance efficiency to innovative finance. These documents were informed by technical assessments from two expert task forces, which detailed the rationale for action on energy access and on efficiency and renewables, respectively, reflecting best practices of members of the United Nations Global Compact. • Political in securing endorsement of the Sustainable Energy for All vision from every part of the world — from the European Commission and the Clean Energy Ministerial to the African energy ministers and the Small Island Developing States — and attracting the voluntary participation of more than 50 developing countries. On 27 July 2012 the General Assembly added its support by endorsing the outcome document of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, in which the Conference participants said: “We are all determined to act to make sustainable energy for all a reality” (resolution 66/288, annex, para. 129). • Financial in inspiring more than 100 commitments to action, amounting to tens of billions of dollars: from Governments, to provide technical assistance and reduce the risks of private investment, and from businesses, to make the large-scale investments required to bring about change in the world’s energy systems. Such public-private partnerships are essential to mobilizing capital on a global scale. Much more will be needed, but this is an impressive beginning.
______1 A list of the members of the High-level Group is contained in the annex to document A/67/175. 2 Available from www.un.org/wcm/content/site/sustainableenergyforall/home/documents.
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In the present report we provide a detailed account of our activities over the past year, which included four in-person meetings of the High-level Group in New York, Abu Dhabi, London and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Our attention now turns to next steps — creating a structure and process that will sustain and validate this progress, build on the momentum we have generated and move rapidly to achieve the three objectives of Sustainable Energy for All. This work includes: (a) Supporting national Governments as they design and implement country- level plans to develop local capacity, create the enabling conditions to attract private investment and facilitate access to technical assistance and resources; (b) Developing high-impact opportunities into concrete actions through constructive engagement with multi-stakeholder partnerships; (c) Bringing public and private partners together and reducing investment risk through the targeted use of public and philanthropic capital; (d) Monitoring progress, sharing best practices and lessons learned and communicating with global stakeholders on a regular basis. We have no appetite for a new institution or centralized bureaucracy to execute these assignments. Rather, we envision a distributed global network that collaborates with existing institutional structures and initiatives, taking full advantage of available delivery mechanisms and the diverse capacities of partners, including international institutions, businesses and civil society organizations. A single chief executive, operating under your authority, should manage this network, guided by a newly constituted high-level advisory board and supported by a lean and nimble secretariat that can plan and coordinate a complex multi-stakeholder and multitrack set of operations at global, regional and country levels, both within and outside the United Nations system. Spokes off this hub can take on issues of country action, business engagement, communications and knowledge management. We urge you to put such a structure and process into place without delay and to work with partners to secure adequate funding for its success. We must not lose the goodwill and momentum we have earned. Mr. Secretary-General, this work began with the April 2010 report of your Advisory Group on Energy and Climate Change.3 The General Assembly responded by declaring 2012 the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All (resolution 65/151). In November 2011, you set out three objectives for 2030 — ensuring universal access to modern energy services, doubling the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency, and doubling the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix (see A/66/645) — that are ambitious but achievable if the right conditions and investments are put in place. In the short time since then, the goal of sustainable energy for all has attracted broad international support, and the urgency of making progress on your three objectives has been widely accepted because of their importance to poverty eradication and the mitigation of climate change. The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from 20 to 22 June 2012, was only one milestone for Sustainable
______3 United Nations, Energy for a Sustainable Future: the Secretary-General’s Advisory Group on Energy and Climate Change — Summary Report and Recommendations (New York, April 2010).
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Energy for All — but it was an important one, one that points onward towards success. The success of the initiative will ultimately be measured by how many of the energy-poor are connected to electricity and other modern energy services, and by the impact of Sustainable Energy for All on the world’s energy systems and their sustainability, in particular on accelerating low-emissions development and green growth. We are deeply grateful to you for getting us started down this road. Now let us commit ourselves to reaching the destination.
Charles O. Holliday Jr. Kandeh K. Yumkella
September 2012
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I. Actions and partnerships
A. Overview of commitments
1. Since its launch in September 2011, Sustainable Energy for All has received more than 100 commitments to action from Governments, businesses, international institutions and civil society. 2. More than 50 Governments from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the small island developing States have signed up to participate. Most have already initiated or completed energy sector assessments and gap analyses, laying the groundwork to scale up action in priority areas, undertake policy reforms where needed and attract new investments and financial support. 3. Businesses and investors committed more than $50 billion towards the initiative’s three objectives. Additional billions were committed by other key stakeholders — Governments, multilateral development banks and international institutions — to catalyse action in support of the initiative. 4. More than a billion people will benefit from these commitments. Developing countries in particular will gain improved access to electricity and clean cooking solutions through scaled-up renewable energy resources, increased investment and improved energy policies. Much of the private investment will deliver increased adoption of energy efficiency and renewable energy in industrialized countries. 5. Hundreds of actions and commitments are under way in support of Sustainable Energy for All, supported by businesses, donors, entrepreneurs, organizations, artists and individual volunteers. For example, the rock band Linkin Park, which has some 44 million Facebook followers globally, launched a petition drive on its “Power the world” website urging an end to energy poverty, along with a pledging campaign to deliver “solar suitcases” to health clinics in Uganda. It also produced “The story of Imani”, an animated video, which can be viewed at http://powertheworld.org. 6. Twenty-three Governments, representing 90 per cent of the global market for clean energy, joined with private-sector leaders at the Clean Energy Ministerial meeting held in London on 25 and 26 April 2012 to advance the goal of Sustainable Energy for All through a range of specific commitments, described further at www.cleanenergyministerial.org/pdfs/joint_cem_se4all_press_release_final.pdf. 7. A detailed list of commitments to action in support of Sustainable Energy for All appears at http://sustainableenergyforall.org/actions-commitments. A partial list follows.
Country actions
8. Ghana, one of the first countries to partner with the initiative, has developed a national energy action plan to support capacity development and innovative financing. Countries initiating or completing similar plans include Bangladesh, Kenya, Mozambique, Nepal, Tajikistan, Uruguay and Viet Nam. 9. Twenty-one small island developing States agreed to work towards universal access to energy, switch to renewable energy and reduce their dependence on fossil fuels. For example, Barbados will increase its use of renewable energy to 29 per cent of all electricity consumption by 2029.
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10. The European Union announced the “Energizing development” initiative to provide access to sustainable energy services to 500 million people by 2030, with support from a technical assistance fund of 50 million euros over the next two years. 11. Norway committed approximately $140 million over five years as a first step in the context of the international energy and climate partnership, Energy+, to scale up access to sustainable energy in Ethiopia’s rural areas to replace kerosene lamps with solar alternatives in Kenya and to support Liberia’s development of a strategic energy and climate plan. 12. The United States of America announced $2 billion in grants, loans and loan guarantees across government agencies and departments for capacity-building projects, policy and regulatory development, public-private partnerships and loan guarantees to leverage private investment in clean energy technologies. The United States has committed more than $40 million to ensure that high-impact Clean Energy Ministerial initiatives reach global scale, including the Clean Energy Solutions Centre, the Global Lighting and Energy Access Programme and the Super- efficient Equipment and Appliances Deployment initiative. 13. Brazil promised an additional $4.3 billion to achieve universal energy access among its people by 2014. As a global leader in sustainable energy, Brazil will invest an additional $235 billion over 10 years in renewable energy, mainly in hydropower and biofuels but also including biomass and wind power, and will produce total energy savings of 9 per cent in 2030 from the electrical and transportation sectors. The Brazilian Development Bank will continue to support through its existing credit lines the production of sustainable energy in other countries, including by signing a memorandum of understanding with the African Development Bank. Eletrobras will cooperate internationally with other power companies to develop competitive renewable sources of electricity and associated transmission systems.
Business actions
14. Microsoft has committed itself to going carbon-neutral and will impose an internal carbon fee on its own business operations in over 100 countries. By putting a price on carbon, Microsoft aims to drive greater advances in efficiency in data centres and buildings, increase the procurement of renewable energy and reduce travel-related emissions. 15. Siemens will increase its externally verified environmental portfolio dedicated to energy efficiency, renewables and environmental technologies by $12.5 billion by the end of 2014. 16. The World Liquefied Petroleum Gas Association announced a five-year global campaign to reduce death and serious illnesses caused by lack of access to clean cooking fuels and stoves. “Cooking for life” will transition 50 million people to liquefied petroleum gas for cooking by 2018 and include more than $750 million of new capital to invest in liquefied petroleum gas systems and address first-cost barriers to usage. 17. GDF Suez will invest in approximately 50 local energy entrepreneurship projects in developing countries by 2020. It will also increase its energy efficiency by 40 per cent by 2017 and its installed capacity of renewable energy by 50 per cent between 2009 and 2015.
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18. Statoil, as it continues to implement its “no production flaring” policy, is leading efforts with the World Bank to expand the Global Gas Flaring Reduction Partnership, including the development of company- and country-specific targets for reducing flaring intensity. 19. Eni has earmarked approximately $5 billion to achieve its gas flaring and carbon-intensity reduction goals. It will also spend approximately $32 million towards low-voltage power lines in the Congo, benefiting 140,000 people and their communities. 20. The Renault-Nissan Alliance has committed approximately $5 billion to commercialize affordable zero-emission vehicles, adding five distinct models by the end of 2012. It plans to have 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles on roads in the 2016 fiscal year as part of its work involving public-private partnerships in support of a robust infrastructure for zero-emission vehicles. 21. Eskom and Duke Energy, with support from various organizations, including the Global Sustainable Electricity Partnership and the Southern African Power Pool, are developing an electrification roadmap for Southern Africa and other developing regions. The initiative will focus on consolidation of existing national electrification plans, assistance with plan finalization as needed, and securing resources for accelerating implementation. The goal is to connect 500 million people to modern energy services by 2025. 22. Additionally, the Global Sustainable Electricity Partnership pledged to install 50,000 solar lanterns that will provide clean electricity to off-grid households. 23. d.Light Design, a social entrepreneur, committed itself to providing solar lamps to 30 million people in more than 40 countries by 2015. 24. Infosys, a provider of business and outsourcing services in 32 countries, pledged to reduce its energy consumption by 50 per cent and to source 100 per cent of its electricity from renewables by 2018. 25. Femsa, a consumer products company in Latin America, committed itself to covering 85 per cent of the energy needs of its Mexican operations through renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power, by 2013. 26. Masdar, of the United Arab Emirates, has set up renewable energy projects in Tonga and Afghanistan and created a global high school prize, awarding up to $100,000 to five schools that submit winning cases for how to lighten their energy footprint.
Financial institutions and foundations
27. Bank of America has set a 10-year, $50 billion environmental business goal. Based on historical performance, the bank estimates that this will result in investments of approximately $35 billion in renewable energy, energy efficiency and energy access. 28. Multilateral development banks committed more than $30 billion towards achieving the three objectives of Sustainable Energy for All. The African Development Bank will invest $20 billion in energy by 2030, and by doing so, will draw an additional $80 billion by partnering with private and public enterprises. Investments, including those made through its Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa,
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will range from regional projects that benefit multiple countries to small- and medium-scale energy projects that increase access to electricity in rural regions. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has committed $8 billion to energy-efficiency projects in Eastern Europe and Central Asia over the next three years. 29. The World Bank Group committed itself to doubling the leverage of its energy portfolio to $16 billion a year by mobilizing private, donor and public contributions. It will emphasize low-carbon energy and support policies to expand energy access, renewable energy and energy efficiency. The Bank and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) will expand existing programmes such as Lighting Africa, which develops off-grid lighting markets, to provide affordable lighting to 70 million low- income households by 2020, as well as undertaking new initiatives with the Energy Sector Management Assistance Programme, such as mapping of renewable energy resources. 30. Additionally, the World Bank Group pledged to provide technical assistance, policy guidance, and financing to help up to five selected countries establish energy access plans; support clean-cookstove and household fuel programmes in Africa, South and East Asia and Central America; provide risk mitigation for clean energy investments; and expand the Global Gas Flaring Reduction Partnership to capture and productively use previously flared gas. 31. The Fund for International Development of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) committed a minimum of $1 billion to its “Energy for the poor” initiative and its work against energy poverty. 32. The Abu Dhabi Fund for Development has made available $350 million in concessional funding over the next seven years for innovative renewable energy projects approved by the International Renewable Energy Agency. 33. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Capital Development Fund launched the joint global CleanStart programme to create microfinance opportunities for poor people to move out of energy poverty by jump-starting their access to modern energy services. The programme aims to move at least 2.5 million people in Asia and Africa out of energy poverty by 2017. 34. The ClimateWorks Foundation pledged up to $15 million in supporting and matching funds over three years to help India, China, Brazil and Mexico to identify, adapt and implement proven best-practice energy efficiency and renewable energy policies. ClimateWorks also pledged up to $1 million to support the development of effective clean-energy policies by offering no-cost consulting services to Governments worldwide through the Clean Energy Solutions Centre.
Non-governmental actions
35. The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in India committed itself to expanding lighting services to households in several developing countries using solar and other clean energy technologies, impacting an estimated 10 million lives by 2018. 36. The United Nations Foundation has launched the Energy Access Practitioner Network, bringing together more than 500 members in more than 100 countries to deliver energy services using innovations such as micro-grid and decentralized electricity technologies.
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37. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, along with 40 other professional associations, pledged to mobilize their 2 million members worldwide in support of the initiative.
B. Actions at the country level
38. As of 1 August 2012, the following 55 developing countries had made formal commitments to be part of Sustainable Energy for All:
Africa (25) Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (3) Botswana Burundi Armenia Burkina Faso Montenegro Cape Verde Tajikistan
Côte d’Ivoire Democratic Republic of the Congo Latin America and the Caribbean (15) Ethiopia Argentina Gambia Barbados Ghana Bolivia Guinea Colombia Kenya Costa Rica Lesotho Dominican Republic Liberia Grenada Malawi Guatemala Mozambique Guyana Namibia Honduras Nigeria Peru São Tomé and Principe Jamaica Senegal Suriname Sierra Leone Trinidad and Tobago Togo Uruguay Uganda United Republic of Tanzania Middle East (1) Zambia Zimbabwe Lebanon
Asia and the Pacific (11)
Bangladesh Bhutan Cambodia Indonesia Malaysia Mongolia Nepal Philippines Sri Lanka Thailand Viet Nam
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39. The participating countries sign a formal letter of commitment to contribute to the attainment of the three objectives of the initiative; they further agree to embark on a four-step process that includes: (a) Government consultations prior to the decision to join; (b) A stock-taking exercise to determine the country’s current status with regard to the three objectives; (c) Preparation of an action/implementation plan; (d) Implementation of the plan. 40. All 55 countries have taken action and received funding to initiate a rapid assessment and gap analysis, designed to identify areas that need scaling up in action and investments, and about half have already completed this step. Resources for undertaking these assessments have been provided by UNDP, the World Bank, the European Commission and the African, Asian and Inter-American Development Banks. 41. Once the assessments are completed, over the next 6 to 18 months, participating countries will set nationally tailored goals and prepare action/implementation plans to make progress towards one or more of the Sustainable Energy for All objectives. Each country decides in which area(s) it would like to scale up actions and investments. Each country draws up its own plan of action building on existing initiatives in place in the country. These plans will address investment at the national and regional levels, policy and regulatory frameworks, capacity-building, matchmaking/identification of multi-stakeholder partners, access to financing and monitoring and accountability frameworks. 42. Some countries will need technical assistance in terms of data, institutions, capacities, skills and investment readiness to ensure that each plan is prepared with the necessary rigour to ensure reliability and credibility of information and data; that partners are identified and tentatively engaged to support selected high-impact opportunities; that tentative funding sources and some commitments are already in place; and that appropriate levels of consultation are carried out with all stakeholders, including businesses and civil society. 43. Sustainable Energy for All will provide mechanisms to share and capture lessons learned and national experiences; establish efficient and effective mechanisms for linking global and national commitments, matching gaps at the country level with international commitments and matching high-impact opportunities to investments; and track progress in order to identify areas that need targeted action and support. 44. The extraordinary progress of Sustainable Energy for All in the developing world to date would have never been achieved without the strong support of the following. 45. The United Nations resident coordinators. Without their engagement and impressive convening power, success would not have been possible. Their facilitation has been crucial. 46. The European Commission. Its political and financial backing has provided great impetus to the initiative and has acted as a catalyst for others to join. The support of European Union embassies has also been extremely useful in the
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organization and implementation of country visits and will prove critical in the stages of implementation. 47. The World Bank and regional development banks. The international financial institutions provide their global, regional and national expertise and the ability to follow up with funding, helping to generate strong political support. The European Commission and the World Bank carried out several country-level rapid assessments and gap analyses in Asia, Africa and Latin America, and the regional banks supported and funded them in their respective regions. The Inter-American Development Bank committed itself to funding all the assessments in its member countries, creating the main catalyst for countries in the region to join. All regional development banks have initiated special programmes in support of Sustainable Energy for All with significant levels of funding. 48. The United Nations system. UNDP teams throughout the world provided support to the resident coordinators so that they could succeed in mobilizing Government support. UNDP also funded the large majority of country-level rapid assessments and gap analyses in all regions — a major contribution to the success of this initial stage of Sustainable Energy for All. The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) also provided support in many countries, particularly in Africa. Other agencies have pledged support in their own areas of expertise. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), for example, has begun consultations for a global programme on the linkage between energy and agriculture. The Economic Commission for Africa has held regional consultations on energy access. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has provided support to a number of African and Asian countries on clean energy finance and technology needs assessments, as well as policy frameworks promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency. 49. Businesses and civil society. With the support of the Sustainable Energy for All partnerships team, the country action team is exploring opportunities for matching the extraordinary list of commitments made at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development with the emerging needs identified in the rapid assessments and gap analyses being undertaken throughout the world.
C. High-impact opportunities
50. The Global Action Agenda identified a number of high-impact opportunities for engagement by stakeholders, organized into 11 action areas, which will drive positive outcomes in extending and enhancing access to and adoption of sustainable energy. This approach resonated with stakeholders and provided a focused point of entry for businesses wanting to engage with the initiative. 51. Approximately 50 high-impact opportunities were identified and prioritized by a team led by Bloomberg New Energy Finance, together with members of our task force on business action. The Sustainable Energy for All partnerships team focused on creating action and momentum on selected high-impact opportunities, based on their significance and the initiative’s ability to add value. We are building strong partnerships, encouraging common action and forging lasting commitments. The table below summarizes the status of 21 high-impact opportunities where there are partnerships and commitments.
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High-impact opportunities Partnerships and commitments
Accelerating private-sector Partnerships announced include the World Institute for investment through public-private Renewable Energies, a collaborative platform of sovereign leverage mechanisms wealth funds and institutional investors that focuses on green assets and renewable energy in particular. Partnerships in development include work led by Bank of America on identifying and supporting the development of risk mitigation mechanisms for sustainable energy investments. Government commitments announced include Denmark, the European Commission, Norway, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States. Individual commitments include those announced by the African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, Bank of America, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Garantibank, GDF Suez, Inter-American Development Bank, International. Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), JUCCCE, Masdar, OPEC Fund for International Development and World Bank Group. Advanced lighting and appliance Partnerships announced include the Super-efficient efficiency Equipment and Appliance Deployment initiative led by the Clean Energy Ministerial and the International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Cooperation (IPEEC) and the UNEP-led “en.lighten” initiative, a partnership with Osram, Philips Lighting, the National Lighting Test Centre and the Global Environment Facility. Clean energy solutions centre Partnerships announced include the Clean Energy Solutions Centre led by the Clean Energy Ministerial in partnership with UN-Energy, with support from the United States Departments of State and Energy, the Australia Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism, the United Nations Foundation, the International Copper Association and the ClimateWorks Foundation. Cool roofs Partnerships in development include work in the United States being led by major roofing industry groups. Corporate energy efficiency Individual commitments include those announced by AB SKF, ABB, ArcelorMittal, ARM Holdings, Banco Santander, BASF SE, Bayer, BMW Group, Brisa — Auto-Estradas de Portugal, DBG Financial Group, Dell, Deloitte UK, DuPont, Eaton, Embraco, Eskom, Femsa, GDF Suez, Global Compact Network Pakistan, Henkel AG, Hitachi, Holcim Group, Infosys, Italcementi Group, KPMG, Lafarge, Meadwestvaco, Metsa Group, Microsoft, Mitsubishi Chemical Holding
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High-impact opportunities Partnerships and commitments
Corporation, National Confederation of Hellenic Commerce, Nike, Procter and Gamble, SABMiller, Schneider Electric, Telefonica S.A. and Unilever. Electric vehicles Partnerships in development include cooperative work between Renault-Nissan and the Clean Energy Ministerial. Individual commitments announced include Renault-Nissan. Energy efficiency in buildings Partnerships announced include the Energy Efficiency in Buildings 2.0 initiative of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the Powerhouse Alliance’s work in Norway. Partnerships in development include the Global Building Energy Efficiency Partnership of the United Nations Foundation with the International Copper Association, Johnson Controls and others. Individual commitments announced include Architecture 2030, Infosys, Lafarge, Skanska and the Rezidor Hotel Group. Energy-smart foods Partnerships announced include the Powering Agriculture initiative of the United States Agency for International Development. Partnerships in development include the work of FAO with WBCSD and other stakeholders. Global renewable energy atlas Partnerships announced include the Global Solar and Wind Atlas by IRENA in partnership with the Clean Energy Ministerial, supported by Australia, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Mexico, Norway, South Africa, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States. Grid extension Partnerships announced include the Global Sustainable Electricity Partnership’s development of electrification road maps and capacity-building to bring energy access to the next 500 million people. Individual commitments include Masdar. Large-scale renewables Partnerships announced include the Africa-European Union Energy Partnership and the World Bank’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Programme and geothermal initiative. Partnerships in development include the work of UNEP on geothermal power in East Africa. Government commitments include Brazil.
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High-impact opportunities Partnerships and commitments
Individual commitments include those announced by CLP Holdings, Eskom, GDF Suez, Global Wind Energy Council, Siemens, Solar Energy Industries Association and Windmade. Micro-grids and smart mini-grids Partnerships announced include work by the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), the Rockefeller Foundation’s Smart Power for Environmentally-sound Economic Development initiative, the United Nations Foundation-led Energy Access Practitioner Network and the WBCSD Access to Energy initiative. Government commitments include Brazil. Individual commitments include those announced by Enel, Practical Action and Schneider Electric. Modern cooking appliances and Partnerships announced include work led by the Global fuels Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, the global liquefied petroleum gas partnership led by the Energy Transportation Group, the Cooking for Life initiative of the World Liquefied Petroleum Gas Association and the World Bank’s Africa Clean Cooking Initiative, South Asia Household Energy Strategy, East Asia Clean Stove Initiative and Central America Improved Cookstove Dissemination Strategy. Individual commitments include those announced by Nexus Carbon for Development, Novozymes — Cleanstar Ventures, Soprise! — MicroGaz, and Toyola Energy. Off-grid lighting and charging Partnerships announced include the Global Lighting and Energy Access Programme and the Solar and Light-emitting Diode Energy Access Programme, led by the Clean Energy Ministerial, the World Bank-led Lighting Africa programme, the IFC-led Lighting Asia’s India programme, the TERI-led Lighting a Billion Lives and the Asian Development Bank-led Energy for All. Individual commitments include those announced by ACCIONA, d.light, EDP Foundation, Global Sustainable Electricity Partnership, Masdar, Nokero International, Nuru Energy, Philips, Shanxi Jinshang Energy Asset Management (Beijing) Ltd., Solar Electric Light Fund, Total and Ubbink. Phase-out of gas flaring from oil Partnerships announced include the World Bank’s Global Gas production Flaring Reduction Partnership. Individual commitments include those announced by Statoil and Eni. Renewable energy procurement Individual commitments include Femsa, Infosys, Italcementi Group, Lafarge and Vestas.
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High-impact opportunities Partnerships and commitments
Second-generation biofuels Partnerships in development include Novozymes-led work focused on emerging economies. Individual commitments include Agritech Faso, Eni and Novozymes — Cleanstar Ventures. Sustainable cities Partnerships in development include work by IRENA, the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat and the Economic Commission for Europe. Individual commitments include those announced by IRENA and the World Bank. Sustainable energy for island Partnerships announced include work by the Climate economies Institute, IRENA, the Carbon War Room (in Aruba), the SIDS Dock initiative of the Alliance of Small Island States and the World Bank’s Scaling Up Renewable Energy Programme in Low-Income Countries. Government commitments include the annex to the Barbados Declaration on Achieving Sustainable Energy for All in Small Island Developing States, signed by 21 small island developing States. Sustainable energy investment Partnerships announced include work by Bloomberg New readiness index Energy Finance with the Inter-American Development Bank on clean energy investment climate in Latin America through Climatescope. Partnerships in development include the work of the Department for International Development of the United Kingdom (DFID) with Bloomberg New Energy Finance on clean energy investment climate in Africa and the World Bank’s work to develop a clean energy investment indicator for its “Doing business” reports. Vehicle fuel efficiency standards Partnerships announced include the WBCSD Mobility Initiative. Partnerships in development include Renault-Nissan and UNEP collaboration on the Global Fuel Efficiency Initiative, along with other vehicle manufacturers and the International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association (IPIECA).
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II. Monitoring and reporting
A. Plans for tracking and reporting
52. The High-level Group recognizes that a framework for global monitoring and reporting of progress is critical to building and sustaining public confidence in the Sustainable Energy for All initiative. The framework will provide transparency to the commitment process and contribute to the sharing of best practices. It will help to show the need for policy and institutional reforms, as well as resource commitments, to achieve results. It will also increase awareness of the wide range of actions under way and the opportunities for synergies, partnerships and coordination to avoid duplication. 53. An online system will be developed to track actions and progress. The components of this online system, not yet implemented, will include a searchable commitment database. Tracking will be possible against many different criteria, such as objective, action area, country, technology, value, beneficiary numbers and sector (government, private sector, civil society). The website will also feature stories of progress and impact, as well as case studies to demonstrate types of possible commitments. 54. Measuring the impact of actions will be critical to assessing progress towards the initiative’s three objectives over time. A number of organizations (the International Energy Agency (IEA), the World Bank, UNIDO, the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21) and others) have been tracking developments in the energy area and have developed or are developing indicators on energy access, efficiency and renewables. But an early effort is needed to develop widely agreed ways of measuring key elements of the Sustainable Energy for All initiative. These metrics will: (a) Improve the availability of information about the range and impacts of options for action and the actions that countries are taking to increase access to energy, renewable energy and energy efficiency; (b) Ensure sustainability of the commitments to climate-related and other environmental goals; (c) Help countries monitor actions they take to meet their agreed objectives; (d) Enhance the effectiveness of implementation of policies at national and local levels; (e) Ensure alignment of the Sustainable Energy for All initiative with other indicator sets for maximum compatibility in reporting. 55. This work will use a baseline report, described below, to map out the longer- term tracking framework for the initiative’s three objectives. Activities will include a review of existing energy indicators, development of a methodology and creation of analytical tools for indicators, along with a proposed process for tracking progress on an annual basis. The analytical tools for data collection and processing will be integrated into the monitoring and reporting framework to institutionalize the process for annual collection and publication of data.
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B. Baseline report and assessment of progress
56. Reliable statistics for energy access, renewable energy and energy efficiency are needed to establish a starting point for the Sustainable Energy for All initiative and sustain political commitment until 2030. While credible global energy databases exist, these need to be adapted to track progress towards each of the three objectives. With this in mind, the High-level Group requested a baseline report to be published in January 2013. This report has three goals: (a) To provide an overview of the current state of progress towards the achievement of the initiative’s three objectives based on available evidence; (b) To build consensus among relevant institutions on the most suitable approaches for tracking progress through 2030; (c) To serve as a basis to produce periodic tracking reports on progress towards each of the three objectives and the overall goal of Sustainable Energy for All. 57. The baseline report will define the appropriate methodologies for measuring the extent of access to modern energy services, the share of renewable energy in global energy and the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency, analyse global trends towards achieving the initiative’s objectives and establish the baseline starting point in each case. It will also highlight high-performing countries that have made good progress in the past and identify countries and sectors in which opportunities for high-impact action exist owing to unrealized potential. 58. Preparation of the baseline report will be coordinated jointly by the World Bank and IEA with the support of a steering group comprising other international energy knowledge institutions, including the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), IPEEC, IRENA, Practical Action, REN21, UNDP, UNEP, UNIDO, the United Nations Foundation, the World Energy Council and the World Health Organization (WHO). Opportunities for broader consultation on the tracking methodology will be sought throughout the process. 59. Interim results will be available for discussion with United Nations stakeholders during briefings planned for September and November 2012.
III. Outreach
60. A process of broad outreach and consultation has underpinned the Sustainable Energy for All initiative from the beginning. This has included a number of major public events with wide geographic distribution, outreach to developing countries through high-level missions, outreach to the business community, civil society and States Members of the United Nations, and solicitation of field-based expertise through the Energy Access Practitioner Network.
A. Major public events
61. The Secretary-General’s initiative was launched through a number of global and regional events with the participation of the Co-Chairs of the High-level Group, also marking the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All:
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(a) The official United Nations launch, held at United Nations Headquarters on 1 November 2011, featured a keynote address by the Secretary-General; (b) The global launch at the World Future Energy Summit, held in Abu Dhabi from 16 to 19 January 2012, featured a keynote address by the Secretary- General, the first showing of a new video about Sustainable Energy for All and a meeting of the High-level Group; (c) The Asian launch at the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit, held in New Delhi from 2 to 4 February 2012, included a day-long conference attended by 200 experts and attracted 75 Indian and international media representatives, who published reports widely in the region; (d) The European launch was hosted by the European Commission in Brussels on 8 February. Approximately 30 media personnel covered the event, and reports appeared in more than 200 media outlets across Europe. A private-sector consultation with 40 participants was organized by the United Nations Foundation; (e) The African launch, held alongside the UNEP Governing Council session and the Global Ministerial Environment Forum in Nairobi on 20 February 2012, featured a panel of ministers and experts and also included a press conference attended by Kenyan and international media, widely covered in both English- and French-language media across Africa. This session was complemented by technical sessions featuring successful projects, lessons learned and options for scale-up and replication; (f) An additional national launch of the initiative was held in Abuja on 23 August 2012. 62. Attention to the Secretary-General’s initiative was maintained through a series of additional events leading up to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in June 2012. 63. The Bloomberg New Energy Finance Summit, held in New York from 19 to 21 March 2012, had “The future of energy” as a theme and featured remarks on Sustainable Energy for All by Charles Holliday, Co-Chair of the High-level Group. 64. The European Union Sustainable Energy for All Summit, held in Brussels on 16 April, was organized by the European Commission and Danish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Its full-day programme featured a keynote speech and press conference with the Secretary-General, as well as an announcement by the President of the European Commission of the European Union’s “Energizing development” initiative to provide access to sustainable energy services to 500 million people by 2030. The event was widely covered in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain and Italy. 65. The third meeting of the Clean Energy Ministerial, held in London from 24 to 26 April 2012 with the participation of 23 energy ministers, brought attention to the Sustainable Energy for All initiative. The High-level Group met immediately prior to the event and took on a number of media opportunities. 66. A conference of the Alliance of Small Island States on achieving sustainable energy for all in small island developing States was held in Barbados on 7 and 8 May 2012, alongside a ministerial meeting on the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development attended by senior policymakers from 32 African, Indian
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Ocean, Pacific and Caribbean countries. It concluded with adoption of the Barbados Declaration on Achieving Sustainable Energy for All in Small Island Developing States, calling for universal access to modern and affordable renewable energy services while protecting environment, ending poverty and creating new opportunities for economic growth. Twenty-one countries made voluntary commitments to take action towards providing universal access to energy, switching to renewable energy and reducing dependence on fossil fuels. 67. The Pacific roll-out of the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All was held in Suva on 18 May 2012. It was a collaborative effort by national, regional and international agencies in the Pacific, including UNDP, to mark the year and raise awareness of the importance of an energy-secure Pacific.
B. Country missions
68. Between mid-March and the end of July 2012, high-level missions were undertaken to 10 developing countries to discuss their participation in Sustainable Energy for All: Ghana, Kenya, Tajikistan, Uganda, Nepal, Mozambique, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone and Liberia. In each case the mission was led by the Executive Office of the Secretary-General with representatives of key partners, including the World Bank, UNDP, UNIDO, the European Commission and regional development banks. United Nations country teams, mobilized through the resident coordinators, facilitated political commitments from Governments, the private sector and civil society and provided technical and financial support to enable country engagement. 69. In addition to briefings of government officials on Sustainable Energy for All, the visits included discussions with the Government and stakeholders in each country to assess the energy situation on the ground, the country’s main energy challenges, the energy strategies already in place and the commitment of the Government and stakeholders to the initiative. All of the visits involved meetings with the United Nations country team, the donor community in the country, the business sector and civil society. 70. In addition to the 10 countries visited, and with the help of resident coordinators throughout the world, contacts were made with Governments across all regions to assess their interest in participating in the Secretary-General’s initiative. The resident coordinators and their teams, mostly UNDP officials, held discussions with government officials in each country. By the end of July, 55 countries had signed up to the initiative; several more are in the pipeline and expected to join in the next few months. 71. The United Nations resident coordinator system, with its universal presence and established coordinating mechanisms with Governments across sectors, plays a critical role in facilitating dialogue and action among development partners and the wide range of public and private sector actors in the sustainable energy arena. Recognizing the importance of engaging these leaders, Kandeh Yumkella, Co-Chair of the High-level Group, presented plans for the Secretary-General’s initiative to a global meeting of resident coordinators in New York in July 2011, and he and the Administrator of UNDP followed up with a letter to all resident coordinators in February 2012, requesting their support in eliciting commitments to action from national and local partners, including the private sector and civil society.
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72. The country-level outreach to date has focused on building partnerships for action. The level of ambition of Sustainable Energy for All provides room for all stakeholders to contribute, whatever the magnitude of their resources or scope of their activity. Within Governments, more than just energy ministries must be involved. Given the wide-ranging impact of energy services, other sectors such as economic planning, health, industry and agriculture, to name just a few, must be actively engaged. Because of the need to scale up the level of action and investment, the participation of the business community is also sought. Given the scope of action needed, the engagement of civil society organizations and non-governmental organizations is similarly crucial. 73. The ultimate success of Sustainable Energy for All in developing countries will be based on three pillars: strong political commitment to act from the Government; strong support from the international community; and strong partnerships and active involvement of businesses and civil society. 74. For Governments, this has meant a formal letter of engagement with the initiative. Within the international community, a partnership has emerged between the European Commission, the World Bank, the United Nations system and the three regional development banks, namely the Inter-American, African and Asian Development Banks. Looking forward, many others also need to contribute, including other bilateral programmes, regional institutions such as the African Union’s NEPAD and the United Nations regional commissions, major non-governmental organizations and international businesses such as those represented in the High-level Group. 75. A successful in-country process will take advantage of resources and programmes on the ground, recognizing the variation in comparative advantage among different international actors in carrying out and coordinating in-country discussions. In some cases, bilateral donors will be in the best position; in others, regional development banks will be recognized as the key players.
C. Business outreach
76. The Sustainable Energy for All team has carried out a broad range of activities to involve the private sector. The purpose of this outreach has been to inform businesses about the initiative, seek advice on steps that should be taken to make progress towards the 2030 objectives, solicit their involvement with the high-impact opportunities and support the making of commitments. Businesses have valued the Sustainable Energy for All platform for visibility as well as for the facilitation and brokering role it can play in enabling a policy dialogue with Governments, which is seen as critical to success in reaching the initiative’s three objectives. 77. Our outreach to the private sector has fallen into two main categories: direct engagement and awareness building at events.
1. Direct engagement
High-level Group members
78. The partnerships team held one-on-one and group consultations with private- sector members of the High-level Group to discuss the various possibilities for individual commitments and collaborative partnerships. The team also provided
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member companies with materials to use in engaging their peer organizations in Sustainable Energy for All.
Task force on business action
79. The United Nations Global Compact, with pro bono support from Accenture, engaged more than 70 companies in a focus group process that spanned 19 industry sectors. Each focus group had between one and five virtual webinars or conference calls. Multiple one-on-one consultations were also conducted as part of the process. Companies were invited to provide input related to: (a) Priority actions that businesses could take to support Sustainable Energy for All; (b) Case studies that demonstrate leadership and success in the areas of energy access, energy efficiency and renewables; (c) Industry-specific perspectives on barriers and challenges to policymaking and financing. 80. Most importantly, the focus group process led to discussions on ways companies could take action and advance the objectives of Sustainable Energy for All. The results of these focus groups will be presented along with research and interviews conducted over 10 months by the United Nations Global Compact and Accenture in a series of 20 reports — the first of which, “Sustainable energy for all: the business opportunity”, was launched at the Corporate Sustainability Forum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 16 June 2012.
Industry groups
81. The partnerships team carried out in-person meetings and calls with more than 30 international industry and business associations; interacted with Global Compact member companies directly and through local network coordinators; and worked with WBCSD to distribute information materials to member companies and develop commitments.
Individual companies
82. The partnerships team carried out meetings and conference calls with more than 250 individual companies from both developed and developing countries.
2. Awareness building at events
83. Many conferences and events provided opportunities for the Special Advisers to the High-level Group — Aimée Christensen, Sujeesh Krishnan and Knut Aanstad — and others to reach out to business about Sustainable Energy for All. These included: (a) The United Nations Private Sector Forum on Sustainable Energy for All, organized by the United Nations Global Compact and held in New York on 20 September 2011. The event attracted 400 participants and was moderated by Kandeh Yumkella. Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro spoke on behalf of the Secretary-General; (b) “Business solutions for sustainable energy for all: corporate leadership in addressing energy challenges in India”, organized by the World Business Council on
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Sustainable Development and The Energy and Resources Institute-Business Council for Sustainable Development (TERI-BCSD) and held in New Delhi on 1 February 2012 with 50 participants. Aimée Christensen discussed the benefits of involvement with Sustainable Energy for All; (c) “Doing business while protecting the global commons”, World CEO Summit prior to the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit, organized by TERI and held in New Delhi on 1 February 2012 with 300 participants. Aimée Christensen discussed business perspectives on the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development; (d) A high-level panel on Sustainable Energy for All organized by TERI and the United Nations Foundation with 300 participants at the World CEO Summit. Kandeh Yumkella co-moderated the panel, which included High-level Group member Peter Bakker of WBCSD and David Sandalow on behalf of United States Secretary of Energy Steven Chu; (e) A meeting of the WBCSD Working Group on Energy and Climate held on 24 February 2012 in London with 20 participants. Sujeesh Krishnan discussed the initiative and plans for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development and beyond; (f) Informal consultations at the Bloomberg New Energy Finance Summit, held from 19 to 21 March in New York with more than 60 participants. A large number of companies participated in breakout sessions on specific high-impact opportunities, including appliance efficiency and clean cooking solutions. Participants included the Co-Chair of the High-level Group, Charles Holliday, and members Christine Eibs Singer and Michael Liebreich, as well as Richenda Van Leeuwen of the United Nations Foundation and Steve Lennon of Eskom; (g) The Energy Efficiency Global Forum, held on 28 March 2012 in Orlando, Florida, United States, with more than 300 participants from leading global energy efficiency companies and organized by the Alliance to Save Energy and the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance. Kandeh Yumkella, Vijay Iyer of the World Bank and Carlos Pascual of the United States Department of State outlined how Sustainable Energy for All can be a catalyst for energy efficiency investments across the world; (h) A private-sector briefing on Sustainable Energy for All held in London on 25 April 2012 with 60 participants and organized by the Government of the United Kingdom. Representatives of the High-level Group and the United Nations Global Compact and others conducted a private-sector briefing on Sustainable Energy for All. Aimée Christensen moderated; speakers included High-level Group member Christine Eibs Singer, Steve Lennon of Eskom, Ingunn Kroksnes of Statoil and Kieron Stopforth of Bloomberg New Energy Finance; (i) A private-sector consultation organized by DFID in cooperation with the Executive Office of the Secretary-General and held in London on 25 April 2012 during the Clean Energy Ministerial. The event attracted more than 40 participants from the United Kingdom and European private-sector organizations. Speakers included High-level Group members Christine Eibs Singer and Andrew Steer, Steve Lennon of Eskom and Mark Fulton of Deutsche Bank;
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(j) A discussion on financing energy access with 15 participants, held in London on 26 April 2012 and organized by Bank of America and the United States Department of State. Financial institutions were invited to discuss financing of energy access projects. Participants representing the High-level Group were Carlos Pascual of the United States Department of State, Matt Hale of Bank of America- Merrill Lynch, Reid Detchon and Richenda Van Leeuwen of the United Nations Foundation and Jerry Stokes of Suntech; (k) Sustainable energy partnerships luncheon, organized by the Business Council for the United Nations and held in New York on 17 May with 60 participants, including High-level Group member Timothy Wirth, Assistant Secretary-General Robert Orr and Sujeesh Krishnan; (l) Business of Clean Energy in Alaska Conference, organized by the Renewable Energy Alaska Project and held in Anchorage, Alaska, United States, on 20 May with 200 participants. Knut Aanstad participated; (m) International Cablemakers Federation luncheon, held in New York on 23 May with 15 participants. Sujeesh Krishnan participated. 84. On the occasion of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 15 to 22 June 2012, business engagements included: (a) The Corporate Sustainability Forum, 15 to 18 June, organized by the United Nations Global Compact, attracting some 3,000 participants from 62 countries. Sustainable Energy for All was a topic of plenary discussions and several workshop sessions, including one on high-impact opportunities with approximately 150 people in attendance; (b) Energy Day, 19 June, organized by Sustainable Energy for All and UN-Energy. This all-day event included panel discussions on finance, new business models and sector-specific strategies; (c) The high-level side event on Sustainable Energy for All, with 300 participants, organized by the Executive Office of the Secretary-General. This event featured announcements of commitments to accelerate and scale up efforts in support of Sustainable Energy for All. Participants included Charles Holliday and Kandeh Yumkella, Co-Chairs of the High-level Group, and members Helen Clark, Andris Piebalgs, Brian Dames and Adnan Amin, as well as Leena Srivastava of TERI and Carlos Pascual of the United States Department of State. 85. The Green Growth Action Alliance held a meeting in Washington, D.C., on 16 July 2012, with 50 participants. The Green Growth Action Alliance is a coalition of private, public, non-profit and multilateral participants working to promote the green growth agenda within the Group of 20. Participants included High-level Group member Christine Eibs Singer, Aimée Christensen and Reid Detchon of the United Nations Foundation.
D. Civil society engagement
86. The United Nations Foundation, the United Nations Non-Governmental Liaison Service and the Executive Office of the Secretary-General jointly facilitated outreach to civil society on Sustainable Energy for All. During the first half of 2012,
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three in-person meetings and three conference calls were organized between members of the High-level Group and a total of 90 civil society organizations. Detailed summaries of these interactions are available at www.un-ngls.org/se4all. 87. In Rio de Janeiro, High-level Group Co-Chair Kandeh Yumkella asked Group members Sanjit Roy and Julia Marton-Lefèvre, along with Richenda Van Leeuwen of the United Nations Foundation and Simon Trace of Practical Action, to provide additional input into the civil society mobilization process for the initiative. This request resulted from calls by some civil society groups for stronger representation within and opportunities to engage with the initiative in order to provide a stronger platform around which to make commitments in support of the initiative’s objectives. In July the group submitted a road map that provides initial recommendations for engaging civil society in ways that complement, augment and strengthen the Sustainable Energy for All action agenda and delivery process. It will be circulated widely for consultation and further input from global civil society organizations. 88. Through a partnership between UNDP and Practical Action, six launch events of the report entitled “Poor people’s energy outlook 2012” were planned for 2012 in support of Sustainable Energy for All to raise awareness about energy poverty, advocate for the incorporation of energy access in poverty reduction and stimulate follow-up actions. To date, four events have been held in Zimbabwe, the Sudan, Kenya and Bangladesh. Two further events are scheduled for Nepal and Peru in August 2012. The events have brought together representatives from government, the private sector, civil society and development partners and were accompanied by public outreach through the media. 89. In addition to the major public events listed above, significant opportunities for civil society outreach occurred at many other events, including the following: • InterSolar North America, 11-14 July 2011, San Francisco, California, United States, statement by Richenda Van Leeuwen • Government of Norway/IEA conference on “Energy for all: financing access for the poor”, 10 October 2011, Oslo, keynote statement by the Secretary- General • “The role of the United Nations in promoting prosperity and development”, 26 October 2011, Washington, D.C., organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the United Nations Foundation, 150 participants, statement by Kandeh Yumkella • Round table on Sustainable Energy for All, 29 November 2011, Washington, D.C., organized by Interaction and the United Nations Foundation, statement by Richenda Van Leeuwen • United Nations Foundation/UNEP workshop on eradicating energy poverty, 5 December 2011, Durban, South Africa, statement by Reid Detchon of the United Nations Foundation • Side event on energy access at the session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, 8 December 2011, Durban, South Africa, organized by the United Nations Foundation, moderated by Richenda Van Leeuwen
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• Investor summit on climate risk and energy solutions, 12 January 2012, United Nations Headquarters, New York, organized by Ceres, the United Nations Foundation and the United Nations Office for Partnerships, 500 participants, statements by High-level Group Co-Chair Charles Holliday, members Timothy Wirth and Andrew Steer, and Assistant Secretary-General Robert Orr • “Rio+20: a new agenda for sustainability — or more of the same?”, 22 February 2012, Washington, D.C., organized by the Woodrow Wilson Center, statement by Reid Detchon • Energy and climate change governance panel, 28 February 2012, Washington, D.C., organized by the Organization of American States, statement by Reid Detchon • “Delivering sustainable energy for all: opportunities at Rio+20”, 20 April 2012, Washington, D.C., organized by the Center for Global Development, 200 participants, statements by the Secretary-General and High-level Group member Timothy Wirth, Vijay Iyer of the World Bank and Carlos Pascual of the United States Department of State • Civil society consultation during the Clean Energy Ministerial, 25 April 2012, London, organized by Practical Action, ONE Campaign and Christian Aid in cooperation with the Executive Office of the Secretary-General, with the participation of 31 civil society organizations and academic institutions, statements by High-level Group members Helen Clark, Andrew Steer and Sanjit Roy, as well as Technical Group members Susan McDade, Daniel Kammen and Nebojsa Nakicenovic.
E. Member States and United Nations processes
90. By its resolution 65/151, the General Assembly declared 2012 the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All in order to recognize the importance and urgency of addressing energy challenges as well as the centrality of energy to sustainable development. Among other provisions, the Assembly requested the Secretary- General, in consultation with relevant agencies within the United Nations system and UN-Energy, to organize and coordinate activities to be undertaken during the Year. 91. The Secretary-General launched his initiative on Sustainable Energy for All at the General Assembly in September 2011. The aim was to mobilize action by all stakeholders to achieve three linked objectives by 2030: ensuring universal access to energy access, doubling the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency and doubling the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix. The High-level Group on Sustainable Energy for All was subsequently established to organize efforts for the development of an action agenda on the basis of which all stakeholders would be able to make concrete commitments in support of the three objectives. The creation of the High-level Group, together with the Secretary- General’s vision statement (A/66/645), was presented to Member States and the general public at a briefing held at United Nations Headquarters on 1 November 2011. The General Assembly took note of the Sustainable Energy for All initiative in resolution 66/206, adopted on 22 December 2011.
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92. By January 2012, the High-level Group had progressed far enough in its work — including technical assessments from two expert task forces, which detailed the rationale for action on energy access and on efficiency and renewables, respectively — to present the Framework for Action4 as a basis for further engagement with all stakeholders in the process towards the development of the action agenda. Consequently, on 24 February, the Sustainable Energy for All secretariat in New York held a briefing for Member States and civil society at the United Nations on the work of the High-level Group, including the Framework for Action, which was distributed at the event. During the briefing, Member States were actively invited to partner and interact with the initiative through an open and transparent dialogue. Subsequently, a large number of individual Member States, as well as groups of States, acted on this invitation by engaging with the initiative through the secretariat. Over the course of the ensuing months, the secretariat conducted information sessions and individual meetings with a majority of the Member States and groups. 93. The launch of the Global Action Agenda (A/67/175) in April 2012 provided another critical moment to engage Member States. The Secretary-General and other senior United Nations officials participated on several occasions in the informal monthly meetings of the Friends of Sustainable Energy for All, a group of more than two dozen permanent representatives organized by the Danish and Norwegian missions to the United Nations. The work to engage with Member States also proceeded through the United Nations resident coordinator system at the country level, as well as the many regional roll-out meetings and related energy events noted above. In addition, an informational newsletter was circulated widely to interested United Nations missions and delegates. 94. At the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in June 2012, the secretariat organized a number of high-level side events to raise awareness of the work of the High-level Group, create a space for further interaction between Group members and Member States, and showcase the importance of the issue. In the outcome document of the Conference, “The future we want”, Member States acknowledged the critical role that energy plays in the development process and recognized that “improving energy efficiency, increasing the share of renewable energy and cleaner and energy-efficient technologies are important for sustainable development, including in addressing climate change” (General Assembly resolution 66/288, annex, paras. 125 and 128). Noting the Secretary-General’s initiative, Member States said that they were determined “to act to make sustainable energy for all a reality and, through this, help to eradicate poverty and lead to sustainable development and global prosperity” (para. 129). On 27 July, the General Assembly formally endorsed the outcome document in resolution 66/288.
F. Energy access practitioner network
95. Meeting the electricity needs of 800 million people who will not be reached by traditional utilities is a daunting challenge. To date, energy access in unelectrified areas has typically relied on a cadre of practitioners, including small-scale enterprises, social enterprises and non-governmental organizations, often struggling
______4 Available from www.un.org/wcm/content/site/sustainableenergyforall/home/documents.
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on their own or with limited support to run a successful energy operation under the most demanding conditions. 96. Several of these entities have been working diligently over the last two decades to mitigate barriers and move the market forward, but it has not been easy. In the process they have been hampered by a myriad of obstacles: unsupportive policy environments; inadequate financing for customers, assets and operations; and insufficient resources for developing innovations and building capacity to serve the poor. 97. Today, established entrepreneurs are positioned to expand energy service delivery. Moreover, a variety of new-to-market entrants have been emerging, many of whom have benefited from the pioneering efforts and experiences of their predecessors. These practitioners are bringing fresh approaches, products and services to the marketplace — propelled by evolving technologies, financing mechanisms and business models that are adaptable to the poor — and they are already delivering significant results on the ground. 98. Based on in-depth consultations with these energy service providers over the last two years, the United Nations Foundation formed a global Energy Access Practitioner Network in 2011 as part of the Sustainable Energy for All initiative to address the electrification aspect of achieving universal energy access by 2030, focusing on the contribution that mini- and micro-grids and decentralized solutions can make and attempting to address market fragmentation in the sector. In its first year of operation, the Practitioner Network has grown to more than 500 members in more than 100 countries, including 220 civil society organizations, 40 social enterprises and 140 small-scale enterprises and other private-sector entities. Collectively they deliver energy services to well over 11 million households annually. The Practitioner Network seeks not to duplicate the work of others in this space, but serves as a “network of networks”, an integrating platform for action. It is a sister initiative to the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, which seeks to foster the adoption of clean cookstoves and fuels in 100 million households by 2020. 99. Based on input from its six working groups, the Practitioner Network released a report entitled “Achieving universal energy access by 2030” at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. Drawing on the practical experience of practitioners working on the front lines of energy services delivery, and the communities with which they work, the report focuses on ways to help practitioners achieve the scale and scope of operations to tackle the problems of energy access in developing countries. 100. Members of the Practitioner Network who prepared the report say five areas are of particular importance: understanding the market, improving policy and regulatory frameworks, facilitating finance, advancing mini- and micro-grids and improving standards and testing. The report will inform Governments, investors, the private sector, civil society organizations, social enterprises, the United Nations and policymakers about the policy shifts and innovative business models that are needed to catalyse the sector and provide sustainable energy to the poorest communities, which suffer the most from not having access to high-quality, safe and affordable energy services. 101. Members have identified networking and information sharing as the primary value of the Practitioner Network, followed by the partnership opportunities it
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provides. Some 82 per cent of the current respondents say they are satisfied or highly satisfied with the Network’s performance to date, affirming the usefulness of the Practitioner Network in the energy access space.
IV. Communications
A. Overview of activities
102. Communications activities led by the Executive Office of the Secretary- General and the United Nations Foundation, with support from the global public relations firm Weber Shandwick, successfully raised awareness of the Sustainable Energy for All initiative globally, helped to secure political support from Member States and supported the mobilization of commitments from key stakeholders. 103. Earlier this year, a package of professionally designed marketing and communication materials was produced and distributed to all High-level Group members. These materials highlighted the benefits of achieving the initiative’s three objectives and were made available at regional roll-outs of the initiative, major energy events and United Nations forums, including the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, for which they were updated and in some cases translated into Portuguese. They included fact sheets on the initiative and each of its three objectives, as well as infographics, a commitment brochure, biographies of the members of the High-level Group, a monthly e-newsletter and an overview of high- impact opportunities. 104. The Sustainable Energy for All website (www.sustainableenergyforall.org) was launched in April and updated for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development to include commitments made to date, as well as a plethora of resources on the initiative. This included collaboration with the United Nations Global Compact and Global Hand on a back-end database system that integrates the business.un.org database into the site, allowing energy-related commitments registered on other United Nations voluntary commitment sites to be incorporated in the Sustainable Energy for All website. Social media tools, including Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, were also utilized and made available on the site. 105. One-on-one media interviews and opinion pieces were another important vehicle for outreach. In January 2012, the Secretary-General wrote a high-profile op-ed on Sustainable Energy for All that was published in The New York Times and the International Herald Tribune. In addition, the Co-Chairs of the High-level Group wrote a number of op-eds published in outlets around the world, including European Voice (Brussels), O Globo (Brazil), Mail and Guardian (South Africa), Maerkische Oderzeitung (Germany), Mint (India), AOL Energy and Devex, and through Project Syndicate and all.Africa.com. An article by Group member Carlos Ghosn, chair of the Renault-Nissan Alliance, appeared in Forbes. Other op-eds on Sustainable Energy for All included an article by the heads of IRENA, UNDP and UNEP to mark the African launch of the Sustainable Energy for All initiative, published in 20 newspapers in sub-Saharan Africa, and two articles carried by Project Syndicate at the time of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development: one on the public health benefits of achieving sustainable energy for all, co-authored by Kandeh Yumkella, Michelle Bachelet of UN-Women and
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Margaret Chan of WHO, and one co-authored by Kandeh Yumkella and High-level Group member Helge Lund of Statoil. 106. The Co-Chairs and members of the High-level Group also conducted numerous media interviews throughout the year, including with CNN, Forbes, Bloomberg, Reuters and a wide range of newspapers. Co-Chair Kandeh Yumkella was featured on CNN’s “African voices” and taped a public service announcement on Sustainable Energy for All together with Brazilian fashion icon Gisele Bündchen and Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former Governor of California, to be aired in the autumn of 2012. 107. The initiative produced a number of videos that were featured on its website and shared with High-level Group members and initiative stakeholders. A launch video debuted at the Abu Dhabi global roll-out and was used at other initiative events, including the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. Videotaped interviews were also produced that featured the Co-Chairs and numerous members of the High-level Group, as well as several Technical Group members. The initiative also filmed videos with the founder of We Care Solar, a member of the Energy Access Practitioner Network, and with an African doctor whose clinic received the organization’s solar suitcase. Each video was promoted through the initiative’s social channels and website. 108. Sustainable Energy for All was featured very prominently at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development: in the Secretary-General’s remarks, press conferences and op-eds; in numerous side events on energy and the initiative’s own high-level side event; in two press conferences; in airport advertising; and at the reception honouring the Secretary-General and commitment- makers. The press conference on 19 June included Kandeh Yumkella and Carlos Ghosn from the High-level Group, Technical Group member Leena Srivastava and Assistant Secretary-General Robert Orr. A second press briefing on 21 June featured Co-Chairs Kandeh Yumkella and Charles Holliday, Prime Minister Freundel Stuart of Barbados and Group member Timothy Wirth of the United Nations Foundation. Taken together, these efforts resulted in extensive coverage of the commitments made to Sustainable Energy for All at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development and in its aftermath. 109. Going forward, the initiative’s communication activities will build on the powerful momentum generated to date and continue to expand outreach to key stakeholders in the private sector, government and civil society. As implementation mechanisms for the initiative evolve, the communication activities will also evolve to leverage the capabilities of key stakeholders and commitment-makers. Areas of focus will include supporting commitment mobilization; developing high-impact opportunities; highlighting actions at the country level and sharing success stories; and disseminating resources for knowledge sharing. Wherever possible, these activities will seek to tell the story of what is changing on the ground as a result of the initiative’s mobilization of multiple stakeholders. 110. At the close of 2012, the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All, communication efforts will highlight the commitments made in the course of the year, including those registered since the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development.
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111. The following are examples of media coverage of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development featuring Sustainable Energy for All: • Reuters: “United Nations chief unveils clean energy pledges, investments” (http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-06-21/business/sns-rt-us-un-climate- energybre85k1ri-20120621_1_clean-energy-renewable-energy-energy- projects) • The New York Times: “Dot Earth Blog: Dispatches from Rio and Nepal: Knife fights over firewood” (http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/22/ dispatches-from-rio-and-nepal-knife-fights-over-firewood/) • The Guardian: “Beyond Rio, green economics can give us hope” (www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/jun/28/rio-green-economics-hope) • Financial Times: “Rio+20 declaration lacking on pledges”, 22 June 2012 • Bloomberg: “United Nations reaps pledges worth billions for sustainability drive” (www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-06-22/un-reaps-pledges-worth-billions-for- sustainability-drive.html) • National Public Radio: “Rio environment meeting focuses on ‘energy for all’” (www.npr.org/2012/06/19/155294726/rio-environment-meeting-focuses-on- energy-for-all) • Ethical Corporation: “Transformative change through business-government partnerships” (www.ethicalcorp.com/environment/rio20-blog-transformative- change-through-business-government-partnerships) 112. The Secretary-General highlighted Sustainable Energy for All in various statements to the press and to the General Assembly in June 2012.5 His op-ed piece, “A global movement for change” (www.un.org/sg/articles/articleFull.asp?TID= 129&Type=Op-Ed&h=0), ran in several national publications in the Republic of Korea in the week prior to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. On 24 May, The New York Times published the Secretary-General’s op-ed on the Conference, which highlighted Sustainable Energy for All (www.nytimes.com/2012/05/24/opinion/the-future-we-want.html).
B. Summary of media impact
113. Proactive media outreach on behalf of the initiative was tied principally to the major public events for Sustainable Energy for All, including the global launch at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi and subsequent roll-outs in New Delhi, Brussels and Nairobi, as well as the European Union Sustainable Energy for All Summit, the third meeting of the Clean Energy Ministerial and the small island developing States ministerial meeting. This activity resulted in significant global media coverage from January to June 2012 by international top-tier and local outlets, as well as visibility and recognition across social media channels.
______5 See www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2012/sgsm14336.doc.htm, www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=42297&Cr=sustainable+development&Cr1=, www.un.org/apps/news/infocus/sgspeeches/search_full.asp?statID=1583 and www.un.org/apps/news/infocus/sgspeeches/search_full.asp?statID=1588.
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114. Outreach to top-tier sustainability and development media in the United States resulted in more than 25 interviews, including broadcast opportunities at Rio de Janeiro and placements in publications ranging from Forbes to TreeHugger (www.treehugger.com). This activity increased the visibility and background awareness of the initiative among key reporters and drove interest in Sustainable Energy for All in advance of formal announcements and corporate commitments. 115. Media coverage has included articles, op-eds and features in leading global newspapers, including The New York Times, Financial Times, the International Herald Tribune, and the Guardian, among others; wire-service articles carried by Associated Press, Reuters, Bloomberg, Dow Jones, Agence France-Presse and all.Africa.com; segments on CNN International and the BBC World Service; articles in leading newspapers in India, Kenya and several European markets; and articles and mentions in a variety of online energy and developments news sites, such as AOL Energy, Forbes.com and Devex. Distribution of Sustainable Energy for All press releases around major events resulted in many thousands of pick-ups on news sites and blogs and in social media.
Social media
116. The digital support for Sustainable Energy for All included launching and maintaining a social media presence for the initiative. In January 2012, a Twitter account for Sustainable Energy for All, @SGEnergyforAll, was launched. Daily content included news about the initiative, videos and quotes, with at least three original tweets a day. To date, the account has more than 4,000 followers, 723 tweets have been written and 296 other Twitter accounts are being followed. 117. The initiative maintained a Sustainable Energy for All Facebook page, providing news clips, issue-related content and engagement. The page currently has more than 12,000 “likes.” 118. The Rio+Social event on 19 June attracted more than 600 bloggers and involved nearly 40 million social network participants. Streaming its proceedings live, it shared relevant data and messages about energy. New generations were brought in through a presentation and performance by the rock band Linkin Park.
V. Acknowledgement of supporters
119. The Sustainable Energy for All initiative has depended on generous contributions from its supporters. Major gifts that have sustained the initiative and its activities were received from: • The Government of Norway • The Government of Denmark • The European Commission • The United Nations Foundation • The United Kingdom (Department for International Development) • Masdar • Bank of America
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120. In addition, Accenture and Statoil seconded senior managers to the Sustainable Energy for All secretariat, and Statoil designed the Sustainable Energy for All logo. Financial support was also provided by: • The African Development Bank • First Solar • Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco • Johnson Controls • Veolia Environnement • International Copper Association 121. We deeply appreciate this support.
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